DILBERT
The comic strip Dilbert, which depicts the absurdities of the 1990s workplace, has escaped the funnies page ghetto and become a cultural phenomenon. But not everyone relates to it equally, report psychologists at Bowling Green State University. People who are generally cynical, as well as those who've had negative job experiences, are especially likely to believe that Dilbert reflects workplace reality.
The researchers showed various Dilbert strips to business and psychology students who had work or managerial experience. The students also completed standard measures of cynicism levels. Although most didn't expect to face Dilbert-like situations at their jobs, those who did tended to be cynical about their current work environment or reported low satisfaction in previous positions.
"There's been a debate about whether Dilbert fuels workplace cynicism or whether cynical people seek out Dilbert," says Bowling Green's Steven G. Rogelberg, Ph.D. "This data suggests cynical people anticipate that Dilbert-like situations will happen, which may become a self-fulfilling prophecy." Fortunately, Dilbert can also be a useful management tool: "If you created a training program based on doing the opposite of what manager in Dilbert do, it would be a great program."
